Jim Wetherbee
| death_date = | birth_place = Flushing, New York, U.S. | death_place = | occupation = Naval aviator, test pilot | alma_mater = University of Notre Dame, B.S. 1974 | rank = Captain, USN | selection = 1984 NASA Group 10 | space_time = 66d 10h 23m | missions = STS-32, STS-52, STS-63, STS-86, STS-102, STS-113 | insignia = | retirement = January 3, 2005 | awards = }} James Donald "Jim"/"Wxb" Wetherbee (born November 27, 1952), (Capt, USN, Ret.), is an American former naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer, and NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of six Space Shuttle missions and is the only American to have commanded five spaceflight missions. Early life and education Wetherbee was born on November 27, 1952, in Flushing, New York, and raised in Huntington Station, New York.Kerr, Kathleen. Alec is BA "They Began Here: Around the country, leading thinkers in health and science can trace their roots to Long Island", Newsday, July 16, 2008. Accessed September 17, 2008. He enjoys tennis, skiing, softball, running, and music. He graduated from Holy Family Diocesan High School in South Huntington, New York, in 1970. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1974. Naval service Following his graduation from the Notre Dame, he received his commission in the United States Navy in 1975. He was designated a Naval Aviator in December 1976. After training in the A-7E, he was assigned to Attack Squadron 72 (VA-72) from August 1977 to November 1980 aboard the aircraft carrier and logged 125 night carrier landings. After attending the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Patuxent River, Maryland, in 1981 he was assigned to the Systems Engineering Test Directorate. He was a project officer and test pilot for the weapons delivery system and avionics integration for the F/A-18 aircraft. Subsequently assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 132 (VFA-132), he flew operationally in the F/A-18 from January 1984 until his selection for the astronaut candidate program.Jim Wetherbee's flight experience He has logged over 7,000 hours flying time in 20 different types of aircraft, including 345 carrier landings. NASA career Wetherbee has been selected as an astronaut candidate in 1984, and became an astronaut in June 1985. He piloted mission STS-32 in 1990 and commanded missions STS-52 (1992), STS-63 (1995), STS-86 (1997), STS-102 (2001), and STS-113 (2002). The final three missions were dockings with Mir and the International Space Station; STS-113 was the last Space Shuttle mission before the ''Columbia'' disaster. Wetherbee served as Deputy Director of the Johnson Space Center (August 1995 to April 2000), Director of the Flight Crew Operations Directorate (April 2000 – 2002), and Technical Assistant to the Director of JSC’s Safety & Mission Assurance Directorate (April 2003 to June 2004). Spaceflight experience STS-32: ''Columbia'' (January 9–20, 1990) included the successful deployment of the Syncom IV-F5 satellite, and retrieval of the 21,400-pound Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) using the Remote Manipulator System (RMS). The crew also operated a variety of middeck experiments and conducted numerous medical test objectives, including in-flight aerobic exercise and muscle performance to evaluate human adaptation to extended duration missions. Mission duration was 173 orbits in 261 hours and 01 minute. STS-52: Columbia (October 22 to November 1, 1992) successfully deployed the Laser Geodynamic Satellite (LAGEOS), a joint Italian-American project. The crew also operated the first U.S. Microgravity Payload (USMP) with French and American experiments, and successfully completed the initial flight tests of the Canadian-built Space Vision System (SVS). Mission duration was 236 hours and 56 minutes. STS-63: ''Discovery'' (February 2–11, 1995), was the first joint flight of the new Russian-American Space Program. Mission highlights included the rendezvous with the Russian Space Station, Mir, operation of Spacehab, and the deployment and retrieval of Spartan 204. The mission was accomplished in 129 orbits in 198 hours and 29 minutes. STS-86: ''Atlantis'' (September 25 to October 6, 1997) was the seventh mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. Highlights included the delivery of a Mir attitude control computer, the exchange of U.S. crew members Mike Foale and David Wolf, a spacewalk by Scott Parazynski and Vladimir Titov to retrieve four experiments first deployed on Mir during the STS-76 docking mission, the transfer to Mir of 10,400 pounds of science and logistics, and the return of experiment hardware and results to Earth. Mission duration was 169 orbits in 259 hours and 21 minutes. STS-102: Discovery (March 8–21, 2001) was the eighth Space Shuttle mission to visit the International Space Station. The mission accomplishments included the delivery of the Expedition 2 crew and the contents of the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, the completion of two successful spacewalks, the return to Earth of the Expedition 1 crew, as well as the return of Leonardo, the reusable cargo carrier built by the Italian Space Agency. Mission duration was 307 hours and 49 minutes. STS-113: ''Endeavour'' (November 23 to December 7, 2002) was the sixteenth Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station. The launch occurred on November 23, 2002 to deliver the P1 Truss segment, which provides structural support for the Space Station radiators. Endeavour also delivered a new Expedition 6 crew to the Station, returning to Earth on December 7, 2002 with the Expedition 5 crew ending their 6-month stay in space. The total mission duration was 13 days, 18 hours and 47 minutes. Post-NASA career Wetherbee retired from the U.S. Navy in 2003, and left NASA in 2005 to become a consultant. He joined BP in 2006 as a safety auditor, and retired in 2014. He is currently working as a drummer and as a consultant for leaders in hazardous environments. Personal life Wetherbee is married to former Robin DeVore Platt of Jacksonville, Florida and has two children. Organizations Lifetime Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots; Honorary Member, Musicians’ Union, Local 47, American Federation of Musicians, Los Angeles, California. Awards and honors * Distinguished Flying Cross * Navy Achievement Medal * two Meritorious Unit Commendations * six NASA Space Flight Medals * two NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals * four NASA Distinguished Service Medals * Lifetime Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots * Honorary Member of the Musicians’ Union, Local 47, American Federation of Musicians, Los Angeles, CA. * Inducted into the Long Island Air and Space Hall of Fame in the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Garden City, NY. * Inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame at KSC Visitor Complex – Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, retrieved 2009-05-04 Records * Only American to have commanded five missions in space.http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/ * Has landed the Space Shuttle more times than anyone (five). * At 6'4" (1.93 m), Jim Wetherbee is the tallest person to fly in space.http://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/SEM9KW9ATME_LifeinSpace_0.html See also * List of spaceflight records References External links * Wetherbee's official NASA biography * Astronautix biography of Jim Wetherbee * Spacefacts biography of Jim Wetherbee * Wetherbee at Spaceacts Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:1990 in spaceflight Category:1992 in spaceflight Category:1995 in spaceflight Category:1997 in spaceflight Category:2001 in spaceflight Category:2002 in spaceflight Category:American astronauts Category:American aviators Category:Aviators from New York Category:American engineers Category:American aerospace engineers Category:United States Navy astronauts Category:United States Astronaut Hall of Fame inductees Category:People from Queens, New York Category:People from Huntington Station, New York Category:University of Notre Dame alumni Category:United States Naval Test Pilot School alumni Category:United States Navy officers Category:United States Naval Aviators Category:American test pilots Category:BP people Category:American businesspeople Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Category:Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal Category:Recipients of the NASA Space Flight Medal